Manny Pacquiao builds own place of worship

Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao has broken ground to make way for the construction of a multi-million-dollar place of worship in General Santos City in the Philippines, where he intends to spread the word of God when he retires from boxing.

To be named “The Word for Everyone.” the P295 million (US $6.7 million) building will house the facilities of the church that include a two-storey structure that will serve as the worship area and an annex building that will house the Bible school and study room, pastor’s lounge and other facilities.

The church will rise on a five-hectare prime land that he owns and he expects to have the facility completed in the next 18 months.

A born again Christian, Pacquiao said it is his way to reciprocating for the many blessing that God has showered upon him.

“I owe everything to God. I have to give it back to Him. The amount is nothing compared to what God has done to my life,” Pacquiao told Aquiles Z. Zonio of Philboxing.com.

The ground breaking ceremony was attended by his wife Jinkee, who is the incumbent vice governor of Sarangani along with Governor Steve Chongbian-Solon, ex-Maitum town mayor Lucille Perrett, Rey Cortes, who will oversee the construction as the project manager and other guests including several pastors.

“The Word of God strengthens my faith and protects me from evil. That’s why I always read the Bible,” said Pacquiao, who always finds time to read the Bible while training for his fights.

“I want to leave behind a legacy of faith and a House of God. This is more self-fulfilling than my achievements in boxing and politics,” Pacquiao added.

Pacquiao has started training for his next fight and speculations are high that he will land a lucrative fight against unbeaten American boxer Floyd Mayweather on May 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.